Surgical instrument



SURGICAL INS'FRUMENT Filed Oct. 17, 1934 ATTORNEY U U W b v NVENTORT V BY Madam/a Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES L ATENT OFFICE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT Frank A. Lowe, San Francisco, Calif.

Application October 17, 1934, Serial No. 748,619

2 Claims. (Cl. 123-305) This invention relates to surgical instruments tilage to be removed. The incision may be either of the kind particularly adapted for use in reof the types known as para-patellar,split-patellar, oving semilunar cartilages from the knee. or Sir Robert Jones. In using the instrument the In removing semilunar cartilage from its atcartilage is grasped at its anterior end and with tachment it is often difficult to maintain a tean ordinary knife is freed from its attachment for 5 notomy knife or otl or cutting instrument in place. app e y hello a inch- After the enlarged The bed from which the cartilege is removed is knife portion of the instrument is inserted through often jagged, and besides this the posterior end the incision, the handle 2 is manip in $11011 of the cartilege is very diflicult to see. The presa manner that the said knife portion is slipped 1o ent invention has for its primary object the prointo a posit on n Wh c he kn fe edge 6 is 10- 1O vision of an improved surgical instrument for recated at the base of .the cartilage in the path almoving the semilunar cartileges from the knee. ready started. The curve of the knife portion In the accompanying drawing: of the instrument, conforming as it does to the Fig. l is a plan view of a surgical instrument curvature of the cartilage, causes the knife edge embodying the preferred form of my invention; to b b ug t i t e p pe Cutting p o Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; and The rw d y p j in pr p 5 being p Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the tioned at opposite sides of the knife edge serve line ?.3 of Fig. l. as guides during the manipulation of the instru- Referring to the drawing the numeral I desigment. By making traction with a clamp on the 5:0 nates a slightly tapered slender shank, made prefanterior end of the cartilage and pushing on the erably from a suitable quality of steel, having a handle of the instrument, the base of the cartilage heavy and considerably enlarged handle 2 at one may be followed around until it is freed. The end and a slightly curved and somewhat flattened length of the shank 2 permits the knife portion knife portion at its opposite end. It is of conof the instrument to be operated upon tissue or L5 siderable importance that the handle 2 be encartilage which is considerably removed from the larged and heavy, thereby facilitating to a depo t Where t e s o is made. 1 y can cided extent the proper handling of the instruthe operation be successfully performed with my ment when a cartilage removing operation is perinstrument through an incision much smaller formed. The end of the instrument where the than would have been heretofore requir but 90 knife portion is located is formed with a curve the previ pr of h v the incision 0- corresponding substantially to the curvature of cated at a point close to the cartilage to be cut a semilunar cartilage. Opposite sides of the away may now be changed so that it may be made shank, at points where the knife portion begins, at a convenient location considerably removed are curved outwardly as at 3, thereby providing therefrom. an enlarged or widened part 4 which continues It is apparent to those skilled in the art that my the slight curve commencing in the forward end invention is susceptible of numerous changes with of the shank. The opposite edges of the widened respect to form, shape and minor details of conpart 4 are substantially parallel and terminate Struction. It is, therefore, to be understood that at the ends of two spaced blunt tips 5 which prothe appended claims shall determine the limits ject beyond a knife edge 6. The width of the my invention may assume rather than the exact knife edge is approximately one quarter of an disclosures herein made. inch, which is the average thickness of a semi- Having described my invention what I claim is: lunar cartilage. The knife edge is located at l. A surgical instrument comprising a shank points along the outer curved side of the widened having an, enlarged and curved end portion a part 4 and is positioned at the forward end of a pair of curved spaced probe members projecting beveled surface '5". The entire knife end of the forwardly from the end portion, and a cutting instrument, commencing at a point on the shank edge provided at the forward end of the end porimmediately adjacent the widened part 4 and tion at points between the probe members, the ending at the blunt tips 5, is gradually curved said cutting edge being located along the outer so as to permit the knife edge 6 to become operacurved side of the end portion, and the said probe tively positioned in a proper cutting position members being substantially parallel to one anagainst the concave articular surfaces of the other and positioned in separate planes, each pertibia. pendicular to the cutting edge.

In ordinary practice an incision is firstly made 2. A surgical instrument for use in removing 1n the 8 near the 1009171011 0f. the Semilunar carsemilunar cartilages comprising a slender shank,

a curved end portion at one end of the shank having a curvature corresponding substantially to the curvature of a semilunar cartilage, a pair of curved spaced probe members projecting forward- 1y from the main body of the end portion, a knife edge provided on the main body of the end portion at points between the probe members, the

said knife edge being located along the outer curved side of the end portion, and the said probe members being substantially parallel to one another and positioned in separate planes, each perpendicular to the cutting edge.

FRANK A. LOWE. 

